BLEACHed Elements
by SanadaSayuri
Summary: The Winter War is at a standstill and the Humans are once more at war. New information is found that will reveal a plot that is more far reaching than anyone thought. Can Ichigo stay alive long enough to stop both wars? rating will change later
1. Prologue

Title: BLEACHed Elements

Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji

Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world is unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU

Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo

Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

Prologue

Two figures sat in a silver Subaru as it sped down the road, a few soft strains of music and the carefree chattering of friends drifting out the open window. A stoplight at a relatively empty intersection turn red and the Subaru rolled lightly to a stop. At the opposite of the intersection, a black Toyota rolled to a stop. The shadowed figure of the driver of the Toyota made a brief movement of his hand, and in the silver Subaru, the passenger nodded slowly. Moments later, the driver of the Subaru slumped over bonelessly, and the passenger stepped out, revealing a young woman in a white sundress with a white hair ornament in her dark colored hair. She put on a wide brimmed hat, slung her purse over her shoulder, and made her way calmly over to the black mustang, her high heels clicking softly against the asphalt. Once inside the car, the Toyota took off and the silver Subaru sat at the intersection, idling under the weak winter sun. A few minutes later, a big rig slammed into the motionless Subaru, turning it into so much mangled scrap, tearing apart the corpse of a dark haired young man in his early twenties. The truck stopped several meters away, and the driver leapt out and ran down the street to be picked up by the black Toyota containing a man clad in a dark colored suit and sunglasses and a young woman clad in a white sundress.

* * *

"The Prime Minister's son?" Ichigo frowned as he stared from the papers in his hands and to the man dressed in the blue and black uniform of a human military organization known as the Elements. "But why? To my understanding, Takada-dono never took up any of the slack for his father the way I do for mother. If anything, Takada-dono is only in Japan for two months of a year, an arrangement that his father is thankful for as neither of them get along very well. Why would anyone want to kill him, much less in the manner that they did?"

"The reason why Takada-dono was killed is exactly the reason why you must be worried, Kurosaki-dono," the man said," Takada-dono was an unranked officer in the Elements."

Ichigo's frown deepened. "That is all well and good, but I am not a member of the elements."

"That is true," the man said, "But I'm sure you can understand the implications. It's not just members of the Elements that are being targeted, but the public is only aware of them because of the fact that many members of the Elements are family or friends with high profile members of society. However, what of those who were not Elements that were killed in similar ways because they were in similar situations that we don't know of since they are in the average populace?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "You think whomever is behind the killings is targeting people with high spiritual awareness? What proof do you have of this?"

"Very little as of yet, but we are hoping more will be uncovered soon," the man said, "The Elements thought it prudent to give you some warning since you, Kurosaki-dono, are closely involved with the situation with the shinigami."

Ichigo nodded, his face smoothing out and his eyes shuttering out all emotion. "Thank you for the warning. I will make sure to be on my guard."

* * *

Kurosaki Masaki frowned as she flipped through several files. "Odd," the woman murmured, "None of this makes sense... _Thirteen refugees fleeing from homeland due to experiments in Hollowfication_... Does that have something to do with hollows? _Political and military problems resulting in exile of military commander from unnamed country_... Sounds like Kisuke and Yoruichi's situation... And these... _Primary targets to be areas of high spiritual concentration, particularly in residential areas_..." She set the papers down and turned to stare out the window. "None of this makes any sense... Why start a war to attack places of high spiritual concentration? If the war wasn't started over the resources in the Middle East, and it wasn't started over the Massacre in Austria, then why was there a war in the first place? And if the war was started for some reason, then who masterminded it all and why?"

A door was flung open with a bang, startling the woman out of her thoughts.

"I sincerely apologize, Minister Kurosaki!" an assistant rushed in, "But we have a major problem!"

"Yes?" Masaki turned the chair to look at her assistant, "What is it?"

"The Prime Minister's son was killed late yesterday in an apparent accident with a big rig, and today, the forensic investigators from the Elements found proof that he was actually murdered and that the murderer was likely a young korean woman whom they brought in for questioning. Korea is up in arms over it, and the Prime Minister is furious! China is getting ready to roll over us with their Navy, Russia is preparing to nuke China, Germany is in chaos because Austria just signed some sort of agreement with Italy, and France and England are furious with Spain who is preparing to roll over Portugal, who is begging for help from Romania who is about to roll over Austria and Bulgaria and Germany is furious about that, and the Central Americans and the Middle East are just flinging around weapons and bombs like candy, the Americans are threatening to close their borders to trade and immigrants and setting off a nuke somewhere if it'll only stop the chaos, and goodness only knows what's going on in Africa, and the South Americans are incommunicado! It's a huge mess!"

Masaki sighed and rubbed at her temples. "Alright. The first order of business is to get everyone calmed down and talking this over like rational people, and hopefully we can keep this from breaking out into another world war. Call Ichigo and send him over to Europe and see what he can do to diffuse the situation. I'm sure the Japanese Ambassadors over there will be glad for his help. And if Any of his friends are available and can spare the help, it would be much appreciated."

"Hai! Right away, Kurosaki-dono!" The assistant rushed out the door.

Masaki was troubled as she turned to look out the window. _"What's happening?"_ she wondered, _"Why is everything falling apart?"_

* * *

Ichigo frowned at the sheaf of papers in his hand as a light knock sounded on the office door. "Come in!" he barked as he set down the papers and reached for another file of papers.

The door opened and several papers at the top of a particularly tall stack shifted from the draft. Ichigo absently put his hand on top of the papers to keep them from flying away as he opened the file and flipped through the papers. The door closed with the quiet click of the lock sliding into place.

"Well?" Ichigo said without looking up after a brief moment of silence, "What do you want?"

The person who entered said nothing. A moment passed, and Ichigo, wary of the silence, shifted several papers and discreetly opened a hidden drawer in the desk to reveal a small hand gun which was hidden from the line of sight of whomevemer was at the door by a stack of files.

"Listen," the deathberry said, "I don't have time to fool around, so if you have to say something to me, spit it out, if you're not here on business, get out."

And yet more silence. Ichigo's frown deepened, and he masked his reaching for the gun with the movement of dropping a file into his outbox. He rose to his feet as his hand closed around the gun, and jumped as a pale hand came into his line of vision and grabbed his wrist in a firm, but gentle grip.

"Now," a smooth baritone said, "you wouldn't really shoot me, would you?"

Ichigo looked up for the first time since the other man entered the office in surprise. "Byakuya!"

The noble arched a brow in question.

"Geez!" Ichigo let go of the gun and dropped back into his chair. "You scared the heck out of me!"

The noble's lips twitched. "That's why you look up when someone walks in."

Ichigo chuckled and covered his face with his free hand as Byakuya released the captured wrist. A moment later, the phone rang, and Ichigo's tired chuckled metamorphosed into a tired groan.

"Oh, Gods, what is it now?" he groaned as he straightened in his chair and started moving files to reveal the phone. He grabbed the receiver, put it to his ear, and punched a button. "Kurosaki here," he said, his voice losing any sign of the tiredness he had felt before.

Byakuya watched as the teen's eyes narrowed and his shoulders tensed as he listened to whomever was on the other side of the line.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo asked.

Byakuya could feel the faintest niggling of concern as he watched the skin around the eyes of the teen tense and his frown deepened.

"Yes, why?" Ichigo asked.

A pause.

"Very well, please wait a moment." Ichigo covered the mouth of the receiver and leaned back and offered the phone to Byakuya. "It's my mother," Ichigo explained, "She wants to speak with you."

Byakuya blinked and took the phone. "Kurosaki-san?" he asked.

Ichigo watched the Captain of the Sixth Division for a moment then turned back to his paperwork.

"Aa. Very well," Byakuya said after a moment, "I'll take care of him." Another pause. "Yes, of course, Kurosaki-san. Good day."

Byakuya handed the phone to his young husband who dropped it onto its cradle.

"I guess I can look forward to you following me on this next trip and reporting what I do back to my parents, huh?" Ichigo asked.

Byakuya said calmly, "As you cannot seem to take proper care of yourself, it falls to those who know better to take care of you. And your parents have every right to be worried. You have been the target of three separate assassination attempts in the past week alone, and the most recent one would have been successful had Abarai not accidentally knocked you over while horsing about with Madarame."

"An accident for which I have never been more grateful," Ichigo said, "especially since it saved my life."

"Abarai still has the bullet you know," Byakuya said. "Apparently he wants it to commemorate his first time getting shot."

Ichigo shuddered. "That man is insane. Getting shot is not a good thing and he wants a souvenir to commemorate it?"

"Likewise, he think you are insane," Byakuya said lightly. ""Abarai cannot comprehend how anyone can sit in an office and deal with paperwork for as long as you do and not so much as fidget. To our understanding, most human teenagers are very easily distracted."

Ichigo blinked. "I think that is the most I have ever heard you say since the wedding."

Byakuya cleared his throat and looked away. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he said sternly.

Ichigo's lips curled at the corners. "Of course. In the meantime, would you mind asking Yuuko-san in the reception area to prepare for the trip to the Japanese Embassy in Budapest? We'll have to leave as quickly as possible if we want to keep things from escalating into a full scale war."

Byakuya nodded and made his way to the door.

"Come to think of it," Ichigo said just as Byakuya reached for the handle, "why are you here, anyway?"

Byakuya paused, and said softly, "Your father was worried that you would forgo necessary rest in favor of work."

Ichigo said nothing and Byakuya turned the doorknob and stepped outside. The quiet click of the lock sliding into place was covered by the rustling of paper.

TBC…


	2. Ch1: The Trouble about War

Title: BLEACHed Elements

Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji

Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world is unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU

Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo Hitsugaya/?

Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

Chapter 1

"It's true isn't it?" A dark haired man said, his hazel eyes worried, "That Korea assassinated the Prime Minister's son?"

Ichigo frowned. "It is true that the Prime Minister's son was assassinated, however, there is little real evidence against Korea, only circumstantial evidence, and that is hardly anything worth going to war over. More investigation is needed before we can be sure who the perpetrator was."

"All of the major countries are in chaos," the man said, "They want to know who caused it, and everyone is so busy throwing around accusations that we have not even looked at the proposals for the unification. No one is at all willing to listen to reason."

Ichigo sighed and shook his head. "Normally, I would wonder if you were exaggerating," he said, "but the assassination of a well known figure does tend to turn normally logical people into babbling, terrified fools. Humans never do learn to think rationally when under stress."

Behind him, Byakuya gave the teen a dry look, just barely refraining from pointing out to the substitute shinigami that he too, was human.

The other man smiled. "True enough. However, Kurosaki-dono, at the current rate of things, the chances of war erupting are high."

"Even if that is the case," Ichigo said quietly, "we must try to keep the conflict to a minimum."

* * *

"Now you show your true colors, Kurosaki!" A man dressed in a black suit, his dark brown hair graying at the temples barked. "You are consorting with the enemy!"

"That is preposterous!" Masaki replied calmly, "because at this moment, there is no enemy. Do calm down, Prime Minister Takada, before you undo all that we have worked for. One person's life, however precious to you, is not worth starting a war over!"

"Kurosaki-dono is correct," a Eurasian woman said calmly, "Too much blood has been shed already, and peace is hard enough to maintain as it is. Now is not the time to start a war over the life of a child."

"That does not excuse the assassination of my son!" The minister's voice was much more subdued. "I do know, however, that Korea was involved. Therefore, I demand that Korea hand over the individual for judgment!"

"And I will say again," a dark haired man in a military uniform said, "that to my knowledge, none of my countrymen were involved. The assassination of Prime Minister Takada's son is a sad thing, but unless solid proof can be given, Korea stands by our word that we were not involved!"

"Lies!" Takada barked.

"Prime Minister Takada," Masaki said sternly, "you are out of line. We all understand your grief, however, you are allowing your emotions to get the better of you. Please calm down before you make things worse than it already is."

A man dressed in the blue and black uniform of the military organization known as the Elements, who had, up till that point, been silent, stood up and said, "Prime Minister Takada, the Elements are currently investigating the circumstances of your son's death. However, as of yet, all we have found is circumstantial evidence, which is hardly anything to build a case on. As such, it is unwise to accuse Korea at this time, and will only serve to estrange Japan from possible allies."

"Please, Prime Minister Takada," said a woman clad in the blue and black of the Elements, "our organization is investigating the assassination with our very best agents. Allow us to carry this investigation through before you make any accusations."

"Minister Takada," the Korean Ambassador said, "I too, am a father, and my eldest lost his life in the previous wars, so I do know how you feel. While I sincerely doubt that any of my countrymen were responsible, if we receive evidence that a Korean was involved in the circumstances that led to your son's death, rest assured that we—"

"Shut up!" Takada hissed, "You're all co-conspirators, aren't you?! Well!" he reached into his jacket and yanked out a gun, "I will not be fooled! I won't let any of you cover up what you did to my son!"

The conference hall immediately exploded in a flurry of motion and sound.

"Minister Takada, what—"

"Put the gun down sir! We can ta—"

"Don't act rashly--!"

"—madness--!"

"Please, Prime Minister Takada, we can—"

The sound of a series of gunshots plunged the room into silence.

* * *

"The Japanese have gone insane!" A dark haired and pale skinned woman screamed. "Thirteen delegates injured and two dead! If the Japanese Prime Minister is any indication of the people, we'll all be dead by nightfall!"

Ichigo sat calmly in his seat, hands folded lightly on top of a closed file in front of him as the woman all but shrieked at the delegation. His entire body was relaxed, though the tense skin around his eyes were the only indication of his feelings, and as the roomful of delegates flung about accusations and counter accusations, the area where Ichigo and the Japanese Ambassador sat was one of two bubbles of calm tranquility in a maelstrom of raging emotions. Byakuya stood behind Ichigo in his shinigami form, his face showing nothing of his feelings on the situation.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a dark haired woman clad in the uniform of the Elements, said, "We are all aware that the Japanese Prime Minister's son was recently assassinated. Prime Minister Takada merely allowed his own grief to consume him. The Prime Minister's actions are not indicative of all Japanese people's tendencies. It could have happened to anyone."

"Be that as it may!" another man dressed in a military uniform barked, "That does not change the fact that the Japanese attacked a roomful of delegates unprovoked."

"This again," Ichigo said calmly, rising from his seat, "You have succeeded in repeating the same thing over and over since this meeting began. Please calm down, or are you looking for a reason to break off the unification process and start another war?"

"You—" the man started to say.

"While it has already been confirmed that the Japanese Prime Minister attacked unprovoked," Ichigo continued, heedless of the other delegates' attempts to speak, "let us not forget that the Prime Minister Takada has just lost his only son and heir to an assassination. Grief makes everyone lose some sense, and the Prime Minister is no different. As we speak, the Prime Minister is under house arrest in the Beijing Japanese Embassy. The invest—"

"Say nothing!" a dark skinned woman barked, rising to her feet, "What would you know?! You're only here because of your mother! Don't presume to dicta—"

"Ambassador Leyla," another ambassador said, "you are out of line. Kurosaki-dono had nothing to do with the Beijing shootings. If anything, he too, is a victim, or have you forgotten that Kurosaki Masaki, one of the world's foremost peace advocates, was one of the victims of the shooting?"

"Ambassador Rossi is correct, Ambassador Leyla," another female ambassador said, "the Kurosaki family has been steadfast advocates for peace over the years. Let us not let their work go to waste with meaningless recriminations that may well end whatever progress has been made."

Ambassador Leyla huffed as she sat down, but said nothing more.

Behind Ichigo, Byakuya watched the proceedings with concern. The noble leaned down and asked quietly, "What are the chances of avoiding conflict?"

Ichigo propped his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together and leaned forward so his mouth was hidden and said quietly, "Very low."

Byakuya gave the teen a concerned look and discretely squeezed his shoulder. Ichigo leaned back and tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement of the gesture.

"It'll be alright," Ichigo whispered, "I hope…"

Byakuya was not reassured as he watched the delegates discuss the recent developments, noting that unlike previous meetings, there was no mention of the unification process.

* * *

Byakuya held his communicator to his ear and listened as Hitsugaya reported the status of things in Karakura. Once all reports were finished, he closed the communicator and turned toward Ichigo who was adjusting his tie.

"Are you sure I shouldn't attend, Kurosaki?" he asked.

Ichigo gave the noble a bland look. "It'll be fine," the redhead said quietly, "Today is mostly an overview of what the Elements have found in their investigations thus far. Afterwards, we'll discuss methods of furthering the unification process. Nothing will happen."

Byakuya wasn't so sure of that, but he nodded and watched as his young husband left the room.

As the door closed, the noble felt a feeling of foreboding fall over him…

* * *

A week later, Ichigo stormed into his office, the heavy oaken doors slamming shut behind him. A few minutes later, Rukia warily stepped into the office, suppressing the urge to run away as Ichigo's furious eyes turned toward her.

"Ichigo?" Rukia ventured deeper into the office, feeling uncomfortable as smoldering eyes glared at her from the face of her friend and brother-in-law that was almost unrecognizable by the intensity of his anger. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Go back to Inoue's home, Rukia," Ichigo's voice was rough with restrained fury. "Go to Inoue's and turn on the television or the radio, whichever you prefer and you should know exactly what happened."

* * *

"—war," Hitsugaya repeated dumbly, "The human world is at war?"

Byakuya nodded tiredly.

Hitsugaya sighed. "Kurosaki must be beating himself up over this," the younger captain said, "After all that work to keep a war from breaking out three months ago, only to have it break out now, over an assassination…"

"Things are getting more complicated," Byakuya agreed, "And Kurosaki in particular will be fighting two wars at once…"

* * *

"I'm sorry," Ichigo said. "I couldn't preserve the peace that you wanted so badly…"

The room was silent but for the steady beating of the heart monitor.

* * *

The shinigami were gathered in the living room of the Kurosaki family. The atmosphere was tense as the gathered Soul Reapers discussed the two wars and the possible repercussions for those with ties to both worlds.

Silence fell as they heard the soft tread of a child's feet against the stairs. The atmosphere turned expectant as the figure of Kurosaki Karin appeared at the foot of the stairwell.

"Ichi-nii was just called away to an emergency conference in Argentina," Karin said softly.

This news did not surprise the shinigami. They had all known the moment the news of the war had been announced that things would change and war plans up to this point would have to be altered. At this point, whether or not Ichigo was a son of the House of Kyouraku didn't matter for he was first and foremost a child of the living world and even if he could easily carry the two titles, he would break under the weight of bearing the responsibilities of both worlds. Battle plans and strategies would have to be rewritten and altered as to not unduly burden the young substitute shinigami, and new allies would have to be found to fill in the spot left empty by Ichigo's withdrawal from the Shinigami's war for the Human's War. Much would have to be done, and unfortunately, there would be very little time in which to do it.

In the meantime, a mad scheme had formed in Karin's mind. It was a daring scheme, one that would probably blow up in her face the moment she proposed it, but at the moment, it may well be the only hope that Seireitei would have for even partially filling in the empty spot that Ichigo would leave. The eldest Kurosaki daughter gathered her courage to ask her question.

"Please," Karin said, drawing the attention of the shinigami to her once again, "Please teach me to be a shinigami so I can fight in Ichi-nii's place!"

The Shinigami were a mixture of horrified and flabbergasted.

* * *

TBC


	3. Ch2: An Attack in Cairo!

Title: BLEACHed Elements

Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji

Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world is unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU

Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo

Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

* * *

**SanadaSayuri: Hey there! Sorry about the long wait, but Deragonmaji recently started school, and I have been working as a tutor and babysitter as my family's personal daycare. Not only that, my house recently burnt down, and school starts on September second and my inspiration for this story seemed to have dried up for a bit even as my muses threw new plot bunnies at me. There's no real excuse, but real life usually does come first for most everybody.**

**Deragonmaji: SanadaSayuri got it into her head when we were writing BLEACHed Blitzkrieg to try to be at least one chapter ahead, but with BLEACHed Elements, we came up short, and as she said, real life comes first. With me in school, and SanadaSayuri babysitting, going to her own classes and dealing with the aftermath of the fire, updates will be few and far in between. Please be patient with us.**

**SanadaSayuri: Neither of us are trying to get out of updating, but you have to admit, waiting a month or two and getting a well written chapter is better than having a poorly written chapter that was cranked out over the course of a week. Of course, that's just asking for inspiration to dry up suddenly, but hey, who doesn't get sudden dry spells?**

SS: I'm really sorry about the long wait, but BLEACHed Elements might be on hold for a little while longer. First, my house caught fire, and the house I'm staying at has no internet access, and second, school has started, so please be patient! Deragonmaji and I will do our very best to get a new chapter out, but with everything that's been happening... Well, we'll just see. For the time being, please read and review!

* * *

Chapter 2

"I apologize," Ichigo said calmly, "With the world in its current condition and mother in the hospital, I will be unable to contribute to Seireitei's war efforts."

Yamamoto nodded gravely. Better than anyone, the aged Captain-Commander understood what was at stake. If he wanted Kurosaki Ichigo to be Seireitei's political weapon, the boy would have to first be allowed to hone his abilities and have the freedom to use those abilities as he saw fit. There was more than enough time to mold the boy into Seireitei's weapon. Let the child come into his full power and let him come to Seireitei on his own time.

"I understand," Yamamoto said, "In either case, we will gladly accept what you can give. Every little bit helps."

Ichigo nodded as his cell phone rang. The Substitute Shinigami pulled out his cell phone and glanced at the screen. The furrow between his brows deepened and he looked up at the screen and said, "Excuse me for a moment," and stepped out of the room. Had he looked back, the orange haired teen would have noticed the calculating gleam in Yamamoto's eyes.

Ichigo, Rukia, and Byakuya entered a small but comfortable restaurant and were immediately escorted to a table in the back where four people, two women and two men, were seated, all clad in the uniform of the Elements. The four Elements rose to their feet as the three shinigami approached the table. After a round of handshakes and introductions, the group sat down and accepted menus from a blank faced waiter. The table was silent for a while as the occupants made their selections and gave the orders to the waiter. Once he had left, small talk was made. It was not until after a server had delivered their food and left that the tone of the conversation changed.

A dark skinned woman with dark hair set what seemed like a shapeless lump of silver onto the table and channeled some energy into it. A shimmering web of silver and pale blue energy flared outwards and settled into the shape of a dome over the table and flashed briefly before vanishing. The only way to tell that the dome was still in place was by the faint rippling of the air.

"Kurosaki-dono," a pale haired man said, "When this war began, you commissioned the Elements to look into several incidents of suspicious nature that occurred during the previous war and during the brief period of peace that we recently had. Our investigations have uncovered something… Troubling, to say the very least."

"Has it anything to do with the attacks on the World's Nexus during the war?" Ichigo asked, "Or is the information related to the military organization known as the Black Serpents?"

"It has to do with both," the other woman said, "Our investigation shows that the previous war was likely orchestrated by a single person, and that person might be the founder of the Black Serpents, and may have ordered the attacks on the Nexuses."

"While the Black Serpents were founded by the person we believe masterminded the war," the other male Element said, "The Black Serpents are led by two others. We have a description of one of the two leaders, but oddly enough, there were no matches in any of the databases that we searched."

The dark haired woman said softly, "While we have found the engineers of the previous war, we have yet to find a motive for targeting the spiritually aware or even the World's Nexuses."

Ichigo frowned and Byakuya said, "If you can provide a description of your suspect, perhaps Soul Society can assist in identifying them."

The four Elements exchanged looks, and the pale haired man looked uncertainly at Ichigo, who nodded. The dark skinned woman reluctantly reached under the table and lifted up a leather case from which she extracted a large envelope and placed it on the center of the table.

Byakuya took the envelope, opened it and drew out the papers. A picture fell out and fluttered to the table, and the three shinigami stiffened at the sight of the face. Byakuya's fingers tightened on the sheaf of papers in his hand as dark eyes stared at the impassive face of Tousen Kaname.

"Oh my god," Rukia breathed, "Nii-sama, Ichigo, what does this mean?"

Ichigo leaned back in his chair and cursed quietly under his breath as the four Elements leaned forward, their eyes intent.

"Kuchiki-dono, Kuchiki-san, Kurosaki-dono," the pale haired Element said, "Do you recognize this man?"

"We do," Byakuya said shortly.

"And?" the man pressed.

Byakuya pressed his lips into a thin line, set the papers down, and picked up his fork. Rukia cast her eyes onto her plate and did the same. The eyes of the four Elements turned toward Ichigo who sighed.

"This information…" Ichigo said slowly, "is troubling. The implications that it brings up is even more so… What we need at the moment is more evidence."

The four Elements straightened in their seats, their eyes attentive and their faces impassive.

Ichigo suppressed a smile at the behavior and carefully choose his words as he continued, "What I need is for the Elements to dig deeper into the matter. Find out as much as you can about the comings and goings of the three suspects. I need to know how far this situation extends, how bad it is, and any links from the previous conflicts to the conflicts of today. I need to know how long this plan has been in effect and why the World's Nexuses and the spiritually aware are being targeted." Ichigo gave Byakuya and Rukia a brief look before turning to the Elements, and his eyes hardened as he said, "You have done well thus far, but we all seem to have stumbled into something much more far reaching and important than we originally thought. In the end," Ichigo said gravely, "the well being of the Living Humans and the Shinigami may well hang in the balance."

The luncheon ended on a much more pleasant note, ending with a comparison of the day to day lives of shinigami and Elements, both of which were military organizations. When the group parted, and the three shinigami were safely ensconced in the relative privacy of the car, Byakuya and Rukia brought up a topic that had been regulated to the back burners by recent events after the younger Kurosaki's surprising request was made, almost two weeks ago. To be truthful, it had not been anyone's intention to put of the discussion for as long as it had been, but the recent events had made it near impossible to bring up any topics of even relative importance, even if it concerned the younger Kurosakis.

"We have been meaning to speak with you on a matter of importance," Byakuya said, "however recent events have made it difficult to discuss anything of even relative importance."

"Hm?" Ichigo glanced at his husband and asked, "And what would that be?"

"You are aware," Byakuya said, "that initially, Soul Society had intended for you to play a fairly significant part in the upcoming war. However, recent events here in the Living World led to a change of plans, and you were forced to withdraw from the War against Aizen in favor of this Human's War. As a result, there is a large power gap that needs to be filled."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed at Byakuya's tone. The Substitute Shinigami knew that it was merely the way the man spoke, and he did not intend to insinuate that the teen was running away from his responsibilities, but the teen could not dislodge the feeling of resentment that the man's tone invoked.

Seated between her two brothers, Rukia bit her lip as she watched Ichigo's reaction. Better than anyone, she knew Byakuya did not always intend to sound as condescending as he did. It was merely the manner in which he had been taught to speak, and Ichigo, by this point, was so used to picking out hidden barbs from the words of others that he did so almost automatically, whether or not he was off the political scene, although it could well be said that Ichigo was rarely ever NOT on a political scene. Things were at a point where attempted assassinations were becoming increasingly common, and Ichigo, everyone knew, was being worked to the bone, and warnings from his family had stated that when exhausted, Ichigo could and usually would become hyper aggressive. Rukia could only hope that this conversation would not shatter the fragile peace that had been built by the two since their wedding.

"However," Byakuya continued, "we have found a candidate to partially take up your place, provided we shuffle about the ranks somewhat to provide her with a vice-captain or captain for support. The only problem is how her family would react, especially considering her age, and most of the captains are wary of her brother, who has proven capable of defeating two captains."

Ichigo couldn't help the quirking of his lips. "Am I so terrifying that Soul Society sees the need to ask me for permission to train my sister? Why not ask my father? He's our legal guardian after all."

"Kurosaki-taichou told us to ask you," Rukia's lips quirked. "Something about his not wanting you to kill him if he allowed Karin to learn the shinigami arts without your input. Your father is terrified of you where your sisters are concerned, you know?"

Ichigo gave a long suffering sigh. "Just give her what she wants then. Karin might as well learn to take care of herself. The same with Yuzu if she wants it. At the very least, if she learns some Kidou, she can distract a hollow long enough for her to get away and get help."

Byakuya and Rukia blinked. That certainly had not been the reaction they had been expecting. Then again, Byakuya thought as he watched the teen rub his eyes, with everything that was happening, Ichigo was probably much too tired to muster any other response than the cool logic that made him so formidable in the conference room.

"Are you tired?" Rukia asked, "You've been working non-stop since the war broke out. Why don't you sleep for a bit? Nii-sama and I will wake you when we reach the airport."

"Speaking of which," Ichigo glanced at the two nobles, "Are you sure it's alright for the two of you to not be helping out with the war effort in Seireitei?"

"We are," Rukia said, "We're protecting a precious commodity, a human shinigami with the strength of a captain and may later become a political force to be reckoned with in the future."

"The Sotaichou insisted," Byakuya added softly.

"So you're both coming to Cairo?" Ichigo asked. "Did you pack appropriate clothing? I've seen what you call appropriate daily wear, Rukia, and I can guarantee that it's not suitable for the climate in Egypt."

Rukia and Byakuya exchanged amused looks. Who was taking care of whom here? Certainly the walking target sign that seemed to draw assassins like flies to honey was not trying to take care of two shinigami who were much older than he was?

Byakuya said lightly, "Your sisters and mother helped Rukia select a suitable wardrobe for a desert climate. Your father and the Ishida heir and patriarch assisted me in doing the same."

"Don't worry, Ichigo!" Rukia said, smiling, "We won't embarrass you! I promise!"

Ichigo snorted. "It's not embarrassment that I'm worried about," Ichigo muttered. "Whatever, do as you like," he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes, "Just wake me up when we get to the airport please."

Rukia's eyes widened as she set her gaze on the airport. _'Are those things even capable of flying??_' Her eyes widened in alarm at the thought of them plunging from the sky. Surely, those big, bulky lumps of metal couldn't do something as fantastic as flying, right? Right!?

Little did Rukia know that much the same ideas were not so happily floating through her brother's head. He too was questioning the rationality of boarding something that (appearance wise) had no hope in hell of getting off the ground, much less staying a flight.

Ichigo, however, was oblivious to his companions' distress. He thought nothing of forking his bags over to the correct person, getting his passport checked, and walking to the terminal. The two behind him decided to follow his lead, so as not to draw suspicion, and made plans on how to get the strawberry alone so they could question his sanity. Or lack thereof.

Ichigo strode through the terminal, and boarded the plane. Rukia and Byakuya, on the other hand, stood just outside the loading dock. Their eyes held the exact same glint. No. Fucking. Way. The deathberry, finally, took notice of his family's absence. He rolled his eyes and went to fetch the two wayward Kuchiki. He directed them to their seats and buckled himself in.

Byakuya and Rukia's eyes widened comically when the ever popular 'FASTEN SEATBELTS PLEASE' sign was lit up. They quickly strapped themselves in, and waited for their imminent deaths.

Aside from their overall freaked out thoughts, nothing could be said that the two were acting anything out of the ordinary. In the confines of their innermost thoughts, however, told a completely different story.

Byakuya was questioning and apologizing for anything he had done, did, and will do ever again. Rukia was, in turn, vowing to burn her beloved Chappy collection to bits if only they would survive the ordeal.

The plane jerked into motion, gradually picked up speed, and took off down the runway.

The two nobles' Inner Kuchiki was screaming in terror. But the worst had yet to start.

Several hours later, the large aircraft gently touched down. Ichigo sighed as he got up and stretched his legs. He turned his head to look at his husband and sister-in-law and blinked in shock. It was all Ichigo could do to not burst into laughter on the spot.

Kuchiki Byakuya and Kuchiki Rukia were sitting ramrod straight and staring wide-eyed at the headrests in front of them. Their eyes were bloodshot and their almost stricken expressions were highlighting every line in their faces.

Ichigo let his gaze trail down to where they were holding the armrests in white-knuckled grips. "Umm... You can let go now, you know..."

Byakuya's eyes flicked to rest on the substitute shinigami. He coughed lightly as he remembered where he was and schooled his face into the usual impassive expression. Rukia, meanwhile, was blinking her eyes rapidly to get them to focus again, while looking rather sheepish. The two released their death grips, carefully prying their fingers from the sorely abused plastic and cloth armrests, and their postures relaxed slightly, though Ichigo could see that their shoulders were still tense.

"We've arrived, safe and sound," Ichigo said smirking, "So if the two of you can move after sitting like statues the entire way here, we'd best disembark."

"I never want to do that again," Rukia said shakily.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "You can survive a fall from 300 feet but can't take sitting in a plane at an altitude of 2,000 feet?"

"It is a large, seemingly unwieldy piece of metal," Byakuya said, "I… _Ahem… _**Rukia **has every right to be… apprehensive."

Ichigo gave the noble a look that said very clearly _'I don't believe a word you're saying,'_ and shook his head. "Well, we're back on solid ground now, so get up and let's get to that hotel, freshen up, and make our way down to the meeting."

As the three disembarked, and Ichigo's quintet of bodyguards picked up their luggage, Byakuya privately swore off traveling by most human means. He would much prefer to go through the Senkaimon and meet Ichigo in the hotel as he had previously than to go through the ordeal of an airplane again, thank you very much. He glanced at his husband and resisted the urge to Senbonzakura the infuriatingly amused smirk off the teen's face. Hell would freeze over before the noble admitted that he thought it was unfair that the Substitute Shinigami had been the only one out of the three shinigami unaffected by the flight.

At the same time, Rukia swore mentally that she would never set foot in another human contraption again, and do all her long distance traveling via Senkaimon. She glanced at her brother-in-law and fumed. It wasn't fair that not only was Ichigo the only one unaffected by the deathtrap with wings, but that he actually had the audacity to gain amusement from her brother's and her suffering! Oh, how she would make him pay!

The two shinigami would regret their dark thoughts when moments after leaving the airport, several shots shattered the windshield, and the car careened out of control as their driver slumped over, dead, and a crimson stain began to spread on Ichigo's side, even as their own gigai took damage, not only from stray shots, but from being flung hither and thither as the car spun and swerved and finally slammed into a stop by hitting a wall, flinging the three passengers painfully forward against the seatbelts.

"Ichigo!" Byakuya could only wad up his jacket and press it against the wound, aghast by how quickly the fabric was getting soaked with blood. "Hold on! Rukia, call for an emergency response team!"

Ichigo smiled wanly, "Just my luck huh?" he said weakly.

"Don't speak," Byakuya said, "Save your strength."

"Yeah, yeah, the usual drill…" Ichigo's smile was strained, and Byakuya could only wonder at the boy—no, not a boy, he'd been through too much to be a boy—the young man's strength, to make jokes (Badly thought out and badly timed jokes, admittedly, but still jokes.) even as his young life poured out of a tiny hole in his body.

Byakuya had never been happier to see the black and blue uniforms with a white armband sporting a red cross of the Elements' Emergency Response Medical Team than when Ichigo finally passed out from pain and blood loss.

"How was it?" a smooth, male baritone asked.

"The shinigami's gigais had received some damage and were frightened and confused, and the boy was all but dead from blood loss when the Humans' Emergency Response Teams arrived."

"They didn't sense you?"

"No. They were more concerned about keeping the boy alive."

Pale lips curved into a sinister smile. "Good. The less the boy can do to stop the war process the better. Even more so since he's all but withdrawn from the Shinigami's War and is temporarily out of the Human's War. Push the war process among the humans faster. Wipe out as many of the remaining spiritually aware as you possibly can before the boy and his allies realize what's happening."

"As you wish my lord."

A quiet chuckle rang through the vast white hall as the man on the massive throne watched the white clad subordinate leave. "Everything is going according to plan… It's only a matter of time…"

"He'll be alright," Byakuya said into the communicator. "The Elements' Healers were able to heal him, and he's sleeping right now. Kurosaki should be out of the hospital in a week."

"_A week?"_ Hitsugaya said on the other line, _"Kami only knows how much damage the humans can cause in a week!"_

"He needs to regain his strength before throwing himself into another fight. He has not been getting enough rest lately."

Hitsugaya sighed. _"I know, dammit! But just after Kurosaki formally withdraws from our war and is en-route to a conference that could stop the human's war before it gets too far and he receives a near fatal injury? It's no mere coincidence. It seems like someone is trying to keep House Kurosaki out of the war in both worlds."_

Byakuya was silent as he considered it. The information that the Elements had shown them the other day made the possibility seem plausible.

"_In the meantime, Kuchiki, try to keep Kurosaki out of anymore trouble if you can help it. In the end, he might just be our only hope of surviving this war."_

"The boy is trouble on two legs," Byakuya said, "and it's difficult enough just keeping him alive."

"_Nevertheless, that's how things stand."_

"I know," the noble said absently as he turned to look unseeingly through the window into Ichigo's hospital room, "but it seems things will be getting difficult."

"_What makes you say that, Kuchiki?"_

"Just a feeling."

"_Should we be worried?"_

"Aren't we already?"

"_Good point. Have you spoken with the Sotaichou yet?"_

"I intend to report back once Kurosaki wakes."

"_He won't be pleased about the latest attempt."_

"I doubt anyone in Seireitei with even the most remote ties to him would be pleased."

"_He seems to attract assassins quite often doesn't he?" _Hitsugaya asked. Byakuya did not answer, recognizing a rhetorical question when he heard one. _"In either case, it's up to you what you do where Kurosaki is concerned. I'll leave you to it and pray that the idiot doesn't get killed."_

The line went dead. Byakuya frowned as he closed his communicator and put it into his pocket. He watched as Rukia sat beside the teen through the window, and his frown deepened. If in fact, Aizen was behind this conflict, what advantages would this grant him beside the obvious of forcing a powerhouse like Ichigo to concentrate somewhere else? If Aizen was behind this, than he had already gained the advantage as Kurosaki had already withdrawn from Seireitei's war efforts, what more could be gained by killing the teen?

The teen stirred and slate grey eyes narrowed. Irregardless, Byakuya had a duty to his new family, and he would protect his young husband. At the moment, the teen was one of Seireitei's most precious commodities, and he would do his duty by him, both as a shinigami captain, as his elder by many years, and as the strawberry's husband. Byakuya placed a hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open. As he moved to sit in the chair nearest the window at the foot of the bed opposite his sister, he stubbornly ignored Senbonzakura's quiet whispers that his pledge to protect the teen stemmed from something more than simple familial duty.

TBC…

**Ichigo: Why am I in the hospital again?**

**SS & DM: Uh… Because?**

**Ichigo: Because what?**

**SS: Um… For plot purposes?**

**Ichigo: Somehow, I don't believe you.**

**Rukia: Ichigo! Learn to take care of yourself!**

**Ichigo: They're the ones having people shoot at me! –points at SS & DM—**

**DM: It's your own fault! You're the one who wanted SS to write you as a politician! **

**Byakuya: We have said this before, Kurosaki. Assassinations are a part of life in the field of diplomacy and politics.**

**SS: But it doesn't matter! Something is stirring in Kuchiki-taichou's heart of stone, and it's growing… I'm so happy!**

**Byakuya: … And that would be?**

**SS: um… er… Rukia! Help!**

**Rukia: They can't tell, nii-sama, or it would ruin the story.**

**Byakuya: --reluctantly-- Very well. I will not pry.**

**DM: --points accusingly at SS-- And you made the last part of the chapter sound like a one sided version of my OTP. (Or at least, it does if you squint…) How mean… Poor shorty…**

**Hitsugaya: Who are you calling short?**

**DM: Er… --points at nothing in particular—Look! A monkie! –dashes away—**

**Hitsugaya: …**

**SS: --sweatdrops—Um… Ok… In the meantime, Deragonmaji and I would really appreciate some feedback! So please clicky that pretty button below and leave a review!**


	4. Ch3: Yami Strikes! Wake Up Ichigo!

Title: BLEACHed Elements

Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji

Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world are unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU

Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo

Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

**SanadaSayuri: Hey there! Sorry about the long wait.**

**Deragonmaji: -bows frantically- SORRY!!! We've been busy...**

**SanadaSayuri: **

Chapter 3

Byakuya allowed a small smile to cross his face as he trailed his fingers through his sleeping husband's vibrant hair. Almost two weeks had passed since the assassination attempt during the initial entry into Cairo, and to the horror of many people; both human and shinigami; another assassination attempt had been made in the hospital and as a result, Ichigo had yet to wake. In the meantime, the noble tried to make a bit of time every day to go visit the young shinigami.

The Kuchiki's eyes drew themselves unwillingly to the rising sun beyond the windowsill of the quiet hospital room. The raven haired shinigami heaved a silent sigh. It was time to get back to work. As he left the hospital room, Byakuya reflected the sudden change in situations.

Young Kurosaki Yuzu had made the trip down to Cairo to represent her still comatose mother and injured brother under Rukia's protection, and Byakuya was to accompany his sister-in-law in his shinigami form into the conference room and guide her as the talks went underway. It wasn't easy since Yuzu had not been trained to work the political scene as Ichigo and Byakuya were, and Byakuya was only slightly aware of the goals Kurosaki Masaki and Kurosaki Ichigo had in mind for defusing the situation. All Byakuya had to work with was the faintest knowledge of what his young husband intended to do in certain circumstances. It was a difficult position for him as one wrong bit of whispered advice would spell disaster for Kurosaki Yuzu's political career, and would send all of Kurosaki Masaki and Ichigo's hard work tumbling down about them.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The station in the Twelfth Division monitoring the human world was in chaos.

"There's a Garganta opening in Cairo!"

"Where?"

"The energy signature is enormous! It's an Espada!"

"Where is it, dammit?!"

"It… Oh my god! It's headed for Kurosaki Ichigo!"

"Someone report to the Captain!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Yami stared down that the comatose teenager, feeling revulsion turn in his stomach. The Espada growled.

"I hate this," the Espada snarled. "I oughtta be pounding ya while you're awake, but no… I gotta kill ya in your sleep. Damn Aizen and his crap orders."

Still grumbling, Yami picked up a pillow and pressed it over the boy's face.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"_You're pretty good at nearly getting us killed, ain't cha, aibou?"_

"_Shut up! It's not like I asked for this!"_

"_Ya wanted ta help your mother, didn't ya?"_

"_Course I did! It's my duty as a son!"_

"_Then quit sniveling and get out there, aibou! You're the King, ain't cha? Quit trying ta get us killed an do something!"_

"_**You are in danger. It is time for you to wake up."**_

"_What?"_

"_Ya heard 'im, King. If ya gotta wake up."_

"_What the hell? My body… Why is it so heavy?"_

"_**Hurry! If you don't wake up soon, everything will be over!"**_

"_Wake up, Aibou!"_

"_**Wake up!"**_

"_I can't breathe!"_

"_Aibou!"_

"_**Ichigo!"**_

"_What is this weight? Dammit! Leave me alone!!!!"_

And everything exploded into whiteness.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The Senkaimon opened into Ichigo's hospital room in time for Ukitake Jyuushiro to see a dark skinned, heavyset Espada be thrown back by a wave of reiatsu. And there, standing at the side of the bed and breathing heavily while clinging to the bedrails to stay standing, was Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Kurosaki-kun?!"

Yami groaned as he stood up. "Dammit!"

A Garganta opened behind him and Ulquiorra was revealed. Ukitake was immediately between the two Espada and Ichigo, his sword drawn.

"Yami," the bland faced Espada intoned, "This mission is a failure. Return immediately."

"Dammit," Yami growled as he stepped into the Garganta. "Watch your back boy. Aizen-sama will get you yet." And the Garganta closed.

"Well then…" Ichigo panted, his knuckles turning white on the guardrails. "What did I miss, Ukitake-san?"

Ukitake turned and smiled warmly at the ashen faced teen as he sheathed Sougyo no Kotowari, "Nice to see you awake again Kurosaki-kun. I'll let Unohana-Taicho know that you are awake. She'll want to look you over."

Ichigo grinned, "I bet she does," he muttered and his eyes rolled backward into his skull as he collapsed.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Ukitake darted forward and grunted as he caught the teen's limp form. The sickly captain sighed as he picked up the teen and laid him onto the bed.

"Dammit. He's unconscious again." Then he smiled. "But he woke up. That's good news."

The door slammed open and Kuchiki Rukia and Kuchiki Byakuya stormed in.

"Ukitake-Taicho?!" Rukia cried, "We sensed a pair of Espada here! Is Ichigo alright?!"

Ukitake sighed again and said, "Kurosaki-kun is fine. He woke up for a bit, but I'm afraid he's unconscious again…"

"What?!" Rukia looked angry, "He woke up and I wasn't here to see it?! Dammit!"

"Rukia," Byakuya's voice was disapproving.

"Oh," Rukia looked sheepish. "Sorry, Nii-sama."

"Oi! Injured person trying to sleep here!" a tired voice, hoarse from disuse snapped.

"Sorry, Ichigo!" Rukia said.

"Sorry, Kurosaki-kun!" Ukitake said.

"Kurosaki," Byakuya said dryly, "Ukitake-Taicho said you were unconscious."

"No one can stay unconscious with you lot slamming doors and yelling all day!" the orange haired teen grumbled.

~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

~*~*~*~*~*~

**Ukitake: Hmm… Kurosaki-kun seems awfully prone to close calls, isn't he?**

**Ichigo: Will you pair stop trying to kill me?!**

**Deragonmaji: Again, you wanted Sanada Sayuri to write you as a politician. Politicians deal with assassination attempts all the time.**

**Rukia: Um… But are they almost ****always**** in and out of the hospital like Ichigo is? Maybe the two of you are going overboard?**

**Byakuya: Indeed. Kurosaki seems to be suffering needlessly. Unless, Deragonmaji-san it is your intention to kill him?**

**Deragonamaji: I'm just the co-writer and beta! The original idea is hers! –points at SS—**

**Byakuya: --raises eyebrow-- Well, Sanada-san? An explanation if you please.**

**SS: --sweatdrops-- Um… No comment.**

**Yuzu: That's unacceptable! You're hurting Ichi-nii-san and making his life hard!**

**SS: --flails-- His life ****has**** to be hard! He's the son of a world famous peace advocate and a son of a noble house! He is strong enough to fight two captains and win! Of course he's going to be constantly targeted by people trying to keep him out of the picture!**

**Ukitake: --sweatdrops-- She has a point…**

**Deragonmaji: --throws hands into air-- Finally! They get it!**

**SS: Hey! You stole my line! Anyway, in the meantime, Deragonmaji and I would really appreciate some feedback! So please click on that pretty button below and leave a review!**


	5. Ch4: A Hostage Situation! Inoue Attacks!

Title: BLEACHed Elements

Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji

Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world are unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU

Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo

Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

**SanadaSayuri: Hey there! Sorry about the long wait.**

**Deragonmaji: -bows frantically- SORRY!!! We've been busy...**

Chapter Summary: Ichigo's streak of bad luck continues and we discover the identity of the mysterious leader of the Elements as the organization mobilizes to save a delegation being held ransom.

Chapter 4

Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose as he tuned out the panicked yelling of the delegates even as masked men and women carrying guns and in one case, a bomb, herded them out of the conference room at gunpoint. Why did things like this always happen to him? His luck had never been this bad previously. He knew it was petty of him, but he couldn't help but wish he'd never accepted Rukia's powers. Maybe he wouldn't be in this position if that had been the case.

_You know that things could be totally different, King._ His Hollow said dryly.

Ichigo snorted. It had only taken thirty-seven assassination attempts on him before his Hollow had decided that maybe now wasn't a good time to be fighting against each other, and now all his darker half seemed to do was make sarcastic remarks and offer surprisingly viable advice once in a while. Of course, the Hollow needed to be given a name so he could be referred to without drawing suspicion… The teen shook his head as he watched one of the terrorists force one of the delegates, a woman, to give up her jewelry. Really. The situations he found himself in lately…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Byakuya resisted the urge to sigh and rubbed at his temples as an Element darted into the room where he was reporting to Kurosaki's father and gasped out that the conference had been taken hostage by a group of terrorists, affiliations unknown, and they were threatening to kill all the delegates if their demands were not met.

"Does that boy not know how to stay out of trouble?!" Hitsugaya barked in irritation.

"Truthfully?" Isshin asked? "Yes. But it seems as if since all of this started, he's been having a case of exceptionally bad luck."

"That's putting it lightly," Hitsugaya grumbled.

Byakuya couldn't help but agree.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ichigo sighed as the delegates milled about the room. He was bored out of his mind.

_Least we're not getting shot at, Aibou. Being held hostage is pretty tame considering that we're almost constantly dodging assassins._

Ichigo bit back an exasperated sigh. Much as he was glad the Hollow wasn't fighting him over every little thing anymore, he still wished his darker half would stop making so much sense.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"This is what we will do," an Element, an orange haired woman who wore an Elements uniform decorated with the gilded and tasseled shoulder pads and the sashes of a Commander said. "We will first send in Sunburst 2 and Sunburst 3 with the ransom money. Sunburst 1, posing as the enemy will go berserk, and "apparently" shoot to kill. Sunburst 2 will be wounded, and while the terrorists subdue their seemingly berserk comrade, Sunburst 3 will take his injured partner out of the area. Eclipse 2 will approach the holding area by the servant's entry and make contact with Kurosaki Ichigo-dono, at which point, it falls to Sunburst 1 and Eclipse 2 to protect the Minister's son."

The four Elements, three men and a woman, nodded. "Then Eclipse 1, your task is most important. We need you to manipulate the security systems for the house. There is no doubt that the terrorists will be using them to monitor the area."

The young man nodded. "There should be an electric line running between outbuilding and the main building at the location. Crossing it shouldn't be much more difficult than walking a tightrope. The only difficulty would be getting to the security station without being seen." Cold blue eyes hardened. "But it can be done, with time and care."

The woman nodded and said, "In the meantime, Eclipse 3, prepare the escape route for the evacuation of all delegates and anyone else inside of the property. Take any teams you feel necessary with you as your backup. The rest is up to you."

The woman known as Eclipse 3 frowned, "Forgive me, Commander, but too many teams could compromise the integrity of the mission."

The Element who was giving orders smiled. "I know, that's why I'm leaving it to your discretion. However," the smile slipped off, "You must have a minimum of three teams, even if they're not doing anything more than transporting the delegates to the evacuation point. This is important. War or not, we don't want to give the impression of being low on manpower, no matter that our forces are stretched thin."

Eclipse 3 nodded. "Understood."

"Very well," the Commander nodded. "Move out!"

The six Elements simultaneously snapped a salute, and made their way out of the room. The Element turned her head and smiled at the shinigami hidden in the shadows. "Is there something wrong?"

"Inoue Orihime," Hitsugaya Toushiro stepped out of the shadows, teal eyes cold, "When did you become the Commander of the Elements, and does Kurosaki know?"

Inoue Orihime laughed, "Of course he knows. He's surrounded by Elements at all times. In fact, the only reason why he was allowed to go out on that harebrained chase into Seireitei for Kuchiki-san was because I was with him."

"Harebrained?" The short statured captain seemed perplexed. Coming from the kind hearted pacifist of the quartet, calling the rescue of Kuchiki Rukia a harebrained scheme? Who exactly was Inoue Orihime and what was her true nature?

"You're confused," Inoue said. "We didn't like Kurosaki-kun going into the business of the dead, but as he is a son of one of Seireitei's Noble Houses, we had no choice but to allow it. Many of us personally believe that he would have been better off if he had never met Kuchiki-san in the first place, but that was where the Elements were lacking. We are spiritually aware humans, but we tend to leave matters of the shinigami to the shinigami, so there was that opening for Kurosaki-kun to run into Kuchiki." She shrugged, "But what is past is past. And although we would have preferred that Kurosaki Ichigo didn't get involved in shinigami affairs, it has certainly done him some good. He is more level headed now."

Hitsugaya paused and stared at the teenager. "You…" he shook his head. "I don't think I shall ever understand you."

Inoue smiled. "I'd be worried if you could understand what I am thinking. Elements have evaded detection from the shinigami up till now because first of all, you didn't know we existed, and second, we did our utmost to embody chaos so we wouldn't be easily predicted. But now, Elements and Seireitei must work together if we want to live."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ichigo did not turn his head when he sensed the presence sidling up beside him, having recognized the "tag" in the person's reiryouku as belonging to an Element.

"Tatsuki," he said calmly.

"Ichigo," Tatsuki replied calmly.

"It's been three hours," the teen said, "how long before the Commander's plan is set into motion?"

"Not long now," Tatsuki replied. "Stay near me alright?"

"There isn't much other choice," Ichigo said humorously.

"Of course, Kurosaki-dono," the tone of the girl's voice stated quite clearly that she didn't trust the teenaged politician would do what was best for him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Six hours later, Ichigo was sitting in the infirmary at an Elements Safe-house while his father paced in front of him ranting about staying out of trouble.

"It's not like I want things like this to happen," the teen muttered.

"No, you don't," Isshin agreed, "But do your old father a favor and try not to get into so much trouble?"

Ichigo inclined his head slightly. "I'll try."

"Do or do not," Isshin snapped, "There is no room in your position for "try"."

Ichigo lowered his eyes to the white linoleum floors and said mildly, "Yes father."

~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

~*~*~*~*~*~

**SS: Deragonmaji and I would really appreciate some feedback! So please click on that pretty button below and leave a review!**


	6. CH5: Surprise! Trouble at the Ball!

Title: BLEACHed Elements

Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji

Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world are unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU

Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo

Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

**SanadaSayuri: Hey there! Sorry about the long wait.**

**Deragonmaji: -bows frantically- SORRY!!! We've been busy...**

**SanadaSayuri: Anyway, here is a new chapter of BLEACHed Elements…**

Chapter 5

"Kurosaki, is that a _gun_?!" Soi Fong asked incredulously, giving the projectile weapon a wide berth.

"Yes," Ichigo answered blithely as he holstered the weapon and buttoned his jacket.

"Why is a pacifist carrying a _gun_ of all things?!"

"I am _not_ a pacifist," Ichigo said, "I'm a _peace advocate_."

"I believe you're in the wrong profession then."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "I'm a peace advocate, not a pacifist, unlike my mother who is the pacifist. I am a firm believer in using force as a last resort."

"So you shot the man the moment he reached into his jacket," Renji's voice was bland.

"I got shot almost thirty times since I debuted as a politician, been kidnapped twice, was almost suffocated in my sleep by Aizen's Espada, and was recently held hostage. I think I'm entitled to a little paranoia."

"A _little_ paranoia?!" Rukia screeched. "You shot an Elements Officer the moment he came in through the door!"

"And it is a good indication of why one does not startle someone who attracts as much trouble as the Foreign Minister's son," a familiar female voice said. The three shinigami turned toward the door in time to see Inoue Orihime enter the room dressed in the uniform of the Elements Commander. "Rest assured, our agents will be entering remedial training if they are making such mistakes," she smiled.

"That hardly makes any of us feel any better about this," Rukia said. "And when were you going to tell us about this?!"

"Your Captains should have already known and this knowledge would have already been given to officers Fifth Seat and above," Inoue said calmly

"What?!" Rukia cried. "Renji?!"

Renji nodded. "Sotaicho told us to keep it quiet," he said.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and turned toward Inoue and asked, "So, is there any information about the Black Serpents and previous conflicts?"

Inoue nodded. "Yes. We did a little digging, and initial suspicions were confirmed. The previous war is linked to the current conflict. The leader of the Crane Association noted humans with an "Extra-Sensory Perceptive" ability as a threat to the human race as a whole and set about to exterminate them with the permission of the Federation on the condition that live specimens were provided for study. At the moment, we can only assume that the Serpants are trying to finish what the Association started unless we can bring in one of the Association's original administrators or the leaders for questioning."

"It would be a bit difficult to bring in Captain Hoshiki or Major Kawamoto for questioning as both of them are currently out of reach, and most of the original Association Officers are either dead or in exile," Ichigo said.

"Most," Inoue agreed with a smile, "But we have access to one of them, a spy who was the reason why the Association was brought down towards the end of the war."

"You want to question…. No. Absolutely not." Inoue's eyebrow's drew together, and relaxed at Ichigo's next words, "Not outside of my presence at least."

Inoue nodded. "Tomorrow at ten then?"

"Try Monday."

"He could be assassinated by then."

"That's a risk we need to take. I need him for a meeting. It's only thirty-two hours."

"A lot can happen in thirty-two hours."

"Then you come with us and question him while we're in transit."

"I cannot just leave the base with little to no warning, Kurosaki-kun. You know this better than anyone."

"Then you will have to wait, or you can go and question him now. He should be returning from Mother's office in half an hour."

Inoue nodded. "I will be in your receiving room then. I'll call you when I begin the questioning."

Ichigo rolled his eyes as the orange haired Elements Commander as she stalked out of the room and pulled out his phone and pressed a button.

"Omi," the ginger haired teen said after a minute, "Inoue wants to speak with you about the information you passed to the Alliance during the war. She'll question you the moment you set foot in the office so call me the moment you arrive in the parking structure." A pause. "No I don't trust her! Her mother was Maria Crawford! Psychosis is prevalent in the Crawford bloodline! The moment she gets frustrated, she'll get violent. Once she gets violent, there will be massive amounts of bloodshed, or have you forgotten that if Arisawa had not intervened, she would have throttled Kuchiki Rukia the first time she decked me!? Inoue wanted to send a nuclear warhead into Soul Society when she realized that I wanted to storm Seirietei! We had to sedate her to stop her and had to keep dosing her every time we spent more than twelve hours in Seireitei?! Inoue is unstable and dangerous. Lady Crawford was one of the most dangerous people in the war, and her daughter is just as dangerous if not more so. I don't trust her not to kill you if she gets overexcited." Another pause. "Fine. I'll meet you in the lobby in fifteen minutes."

Ichigo sighed and flipped the phone shut and dropped into his chair.

"If Inoue is so unstable," Soi Fong said, "Why do you trust her in a position of power?"

"Because she is good at what she does," Ichigo said promptly, "Because I can use her instability to turn her feelings for me to my best possible advantage. And because in the end, she is much more stable than she seems at first glance." He smirked, "It also helps that she'll do as I tell her."

"Umm…Ichigo?" Renji said, eyes fixed on body still bleeding on the office floor.

"What is it, Renji?" Ichigo asked as he pulled a file toward him.

"The body is still in the middle of your office."

"Inoue's Agents will deal with it when I leave."

"Oh. Um… Is that normal?" the redhead asked as his eye twitched.

"Is what normal?"

"The body. It's twitching."

"Yes. Why?"

"It's seriously creeping me out."

Ichigo looked up and raised an eyebrow. "What do you want me to do about it? Kill him again?"

Renji's mouth opened and closed ineffectually and then finally, he said, "I think I'll go wait outside…"

Ichigo picked up a pen and signed his signature and muttered, "You do that…"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Why am I doing this again?" Ichigo asked as he adjusted his tie, "Surely someone else is more suitable to be your escort tonight?"

Tatsuki laughed and tugged lightly on her gloves. "The Commander insisted and had words with father. Besides, this Debutante Ball is for Elements agents. You could not be safer, after all, all attendants are armed, even the Debutantes. What could possibly happen?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes as one of the event managers tapped his shoulder and held up three fingers. Ichigo sighed and muttered, "Famous last words," and offered his arm to his longtime friend and said, "Shall we go then?"

Tatsuki laughed and placed the tips of her fingers lightly on the sleeve of her long time friend. "Let us go then, Your Grace."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"'Everyone attending the ball is armed,' you said," Ichigo muttered, "'What could possibly happen?' you said. And guess what? No, we're not under attack, and no, we're not being held hostage. Instead, someone drops dead in the lobby, and police are holding all of us for questioning. Have I mentioned how much I hate what happens after someone ends a conversation with famous last words?"

"Sorry about jinxing you," Tatsuki replied sarcastically.

"No," Ichigo muttered, "I'm sorry. It's been a tough few months. I shouldn't take it out on you…"

Tatsuki patted his arm. "It's ok," she smiled. "You've been remarkably stable despite everything that's happened. If I had been in your position, I'd have snapped a long time ago."

~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

~*~*~*~*~*~

**SS: --sweatdrops—Um… Ok… In the meantime, Deragonmaji and I would really appreciate some feedback! So please clicky that pretty button below and leave a review!**


	7. Ch6: The Shadow of the Day Part 1

Title: BLEACHed Elements

Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji

Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world are unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU

Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo

Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

Chapter Summary: Ichigo is nothing if not a realist. He has no doubt that his involvement in the war, in BOTH wars will lead to his death, and he knows that it will likely be a death by assassin. But being a realist doesn't mean that when he's backed into a corner with no way out, that he can't hope for the best…

**SanadaSayuri: Wow! Quick update.**

**Deragonmaji: Haven't seen that in a while. Wonder how long it will last?**

**SanadaSayuri: Shh! Don't jinx it!**

Chapter 6

"Who did what at the ball?!" Inoue Orihime said in a deceptively gentle tone.

The unfortunate Element relegated to playing messenger flinched. "E-en-ensign S-su-suzuhara Shi-shizuka," the girl stuttered, "As far as anyone can tell, she died a natural death, but the police want to hold everyone for questioning regardless of whether or not they were in the lobby when she went down."

"That is unacceptable!" Inoue smiled kindly though her voice was sharp with anger. "Ensign Suzuhara Shizuka is an Element. The ball was an Element Debutante Ball. I insist that you return to the scene and insist that the investigation be turned over to the Elements. If not, then the investigation is to be a joint investigation between Karakura Police and Elements."

"U-un-understood, Commander!"

Inoue sighed and rubbed her temples as she leaned back in her chair. "Why can't that boy stay out of trouble?" she asked herself. "I suppose I should be grateful that at least he's not in the middle of everything like usual."

"You know, Orihime-chan, talking to yourself is considered the first sign of insanity," a male voice said cheerfully.

Inoue sighed. "How many people think I'm insane just because of my mother, Kurosaki-san?" she said dryly, "Your son is one hell of a tough charge to take care of."

Isshin chuckled. "No doubt."

"I didn't know it was possible for him to get into trouble when he's simply being a Debutante's escort," Inoue said, "But Kurosaki-kun has constantly proven many people wrong about many things, intentionally or no. I wouldn't be surprised about this, if only my people were not involved!" She slammed her hands onto the surface of her desk at the last word.

Isshin held up his hands and backed toward the door. "Ah… I just realized I have some unfinished paperwork. I'll se you later, Orihime-chan!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was half past two o'clock AM when Karakura Police Department CSIs and Elements CSIs finished collecting evidence and statements from everyone present, and the guests and Debutants were allowed to leave. By the time Ichigo dropped off Tatsuki and made it back to his new flat, it was three in the morning.

"Welcome back."

Ichigo flinched at the unexpected sound of his husband's voice coming from the living room. The sudden movement sent a wave of dizziness across his senses and Ichigo put out a hand to keep his balance. Byakuya did not miss the movement and he was at the other end of the entrance hall in an eye blink.

Ichigo sighed as he realized what had happened and held up his hand to fend off his suddenly overprotective husband as he toed off his shoes and shuffled into the flat. Byakuya moved aside to allow his young spouse to pass.

"I'm fine," the teen murmured as he undid his tie and two of the top buttons of his shirt, "Just a little tired."

"Understandable," Byakuya said, "You've had a long day."

Ichigo groaned as he yanked the tie from around his neck and collapsed onto the couch. "Long day does not even begin to describe it," he muttered as he rested his head on the back of the couch and flung an arm over his eyes.

Byakuya gently, "You should go to bed then. Inoue has already called your secretary to let her know that you won't be in tomorrow."

Ichigo didn't reply and Byakuya reached out and moved the teen's arm to reveal that he had fallen asleep. The dark haired noble silently released a heavy breath that were he anyone else, would be called a sigh and he moved around the couch and carefully picked up his young husband bridal style and carried the teen into his room where Byakuya undressed the teen and put him in bed. He carefully draped each article of clothing over a chair, making sure that they wouldn't wrinkle, before turning off the light and leaving the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ichigo woke to find himself stripped to his underwear in his bed. He felt his face flushed as he realized that he'd fallen asleep and that it had most likely been Byakuya who had undressed him and put him in his bed. Dammit, he'd never be able to look the man in the eyes again. His stomach took that moment to tell him that he hadn't eaten, and if the light coming through the window was any indication, he'd slept most of the day away. The teen groaned as he flung back the covers and stumbled across the room to his closet. He was going to have one hell of a time getting his normal sleep patterns back after this.

Despite that, Ichigo got dressed and left his bedroom intent on a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Ichi-nii," a soft female voice said upon his entry into the kitchen.

Ichigo paused and blinked at his sister. Hadn't Byakuya been here? Where was he and why was Yuzu in his flat? The teen pulled himself together and crossed the room and sat own at the table.

"Is it morning, Yuzu?" Ichigo asked as his sister pressed a cup of steaming coffee into his hands.

"No," Yuzu said, "It's three in the afternoon."

Ichigo was glad he hadn't drank any of the coffee yet. Having hot liquid go down his windpipe was not something he enjoyed. "Three?" he asked incredulously, "I was asleep for the better part of twelve hours?!"

Well, it certainly answered the question of where Byakuya had gone. He'd probably gone back to Seireitei to deal with some meeting and paperwork after calling Yuzu over.

Yuzu shrugged. "Considering the night you've had, it's not surprising, nii-san. Drink your coffee."

Obediently, Ichigo took a long slurp of his coffee. Sure, he'd gone for a full twenty-eight hours without sleep before the Debutant Ball, and what with the accidental death of Elements Ensign, Suzuhara Shizuka, and accident it was, he'd been awake for the better part of thirty six hours. He had no doubt that he was going to be ushered back into bed as soon as he'd finished eating, a thought that the ginger haired teen was finding very appealing at the moment.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A meeting in the United Nations was in session, and a massive auditorium filled with delegates was only dimly lit by the lights on the stairs, the screens of each delegate's laptops, and the massive screen on one side of the room on which statistics and models of tactics and strategies were projected. Ichigo sat in the seat allocated to Japan, his eyes calm as he studied the report that Inoue had delivered to him that morning in the form of a disk. Everything was interrelated, he thought as he absently looked up at the screen where an Elements was tracing a path with a laser pointer.

Strange how much of his life was dedicated to some conflict or another. Not only was he connected to the Nexus Wars through his mother, but he was distantly involved in the unfolding Arrancar War between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo because his father was the Acting Captain of the Fifth Division and his sisters were being trained to fill in the power vacuum his withdrawal had left, and right now, he was advocating the end of the current conflict, which threatened to end three years of hard earned peace. Ichigo leaned back in his seat and quietly released a heavy breath that could be considered a sigh.

The Human World was at war, and the ranks of the Shinigami were stretched thin not only protecting the precious commodity that he and his sisters were, but also repelling Aizen's attacks and purifying hollows. A message alert flashed on his screen with the sixteen character IDC (identification code) of the Gotei 13. As Ichigo drew the tip of his finger gently over the touchpad of his laptop to open the message, he wondered what the next moment would bring.

Things had been quiet, too quiet, as if it were the calm before the storm…

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kunrinsha yo! Chiniku no kamen, bansho, habataki, HITO no na o kansu mono yo! Shonetsu to soran, umihedate sakamaki minami e to ho o susume yo! Hadô Sanjuuichi: Shakkahô!"

(Ruler, Mask of blood and flesh, all things of the universe fly, that which names all. Gathering of heat and war, beyond the seas in reverse, take steps to the south. Path of Destruction Thirty-one: Red Flame Cannon)

A target set up near a set of rock formations exploded as a ball of red energy hit it, and Kurosaki Karin let out a whoop of triumph, and squeaked as a ball of blue energy missed her by a few inches and crashed into the ground behind her, throwing smoke and debris everywhere.

"Sorry Karin!" a female voice called.

"Dammit Yuzu!" Karin cried as she stumbled out of the dust cloud caused by her sister, "Do I look like I have a bull's eye painted on me?! Your target was five feet in front of you!"

Soi Fong covered her face with her hands and shook her head. These two were going to fill in the power vacuum left by their brother? The Second Division Captain prayed fervently that the Human World's war would be dealt with quickly so they could put Kurosaki Ichigo back on the field, because she had no doubt that if they had to rely on the two younger Kurosaki children, then Seireitei was doomed…

~*~*~*~*~*~

"That child is quite resourceful, isn't he?"

"Yes, sir."

"Too resourceful."

"Sir?"

"He has the entire United Nations studying our tactics from the past, and he's even shared that information with the shinigami. They'll be predicting our next moves with that information. I will not have it. Make sure that Kurosaki Ichigo is out of the picture. Permanently."

"Yes sir."

~*~*~*~*~*~

As the auditorium emptied, and Ichigo lingered, carefully packing away his laptop, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He swallowed hard and unbuttoned his suit jacket, checking the gun holstered at his side, and gently brushing his fingers over a badge that he wore on a white cord around his neck. He had the feeling that whatever happened next would determine whether or not the War would escalate. The problem was, Ichigo could not decide which war the next few moments would define.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Not too far away, a woman, young in her features, but ancient in age, walked out of a tear in the fabric of space and time. A gentle wind blew past, sending her white hakama swirling around her legs, and her short cropped hair fluttering around her face. The sun reflected off the white hair ornament that she wore, and in her black obi was a katana. Her long sleeves fluttered in the wind as dispassionate eyes surveyed the New York skyline.

Her target was nearby, she could sense him. It didn't matter that her target had shinigami training, she would kill him. She would kill him the way she had killed all of her other targets.

In the name of her master, Aizen-sama, Kurosaki Ichigo would die.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A chill ran up Isshin's spine and he summoned a Hell Butterfly. "Some thing is wrong, and I have a feeling it involves Ichigo. Check on him for me Byakuya, and go quickly," the Acting Captain said, and sent the Hell Butterfly out the window.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ichigo stepped into his hotel room and froze when he noticed the balcony doors ajar. Standing just past the threshold in his room was a dark haired woman dressed in white, the unsheathed katana in her hand glowing in the light of the setting sun.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked cautiously as he discreetly kept the door from closing.

"I am Luppi," the woman responded in a monotone.

Ichigo studied the intruder and realized something. "You killed the Prime Minister Takada's son!"

"My previous mission is of no importance," she said, "because my orders are to kill Kurosaki Ichigo."

His eyes widened and a split second later, Luppi was crossing the room at near incomprehensible speeds, and Ichigo flung the briefcase at her and ran out of the room, only faintly aware of a flash of steel and the air filling with a storm of papers and a laptop, sliced cleanly in two, hitting the floor. He concentrated on running. If he was lucky, he'd make it into the relative safety of the elevators, which would take him to the roof. From there, he could open a Senkaimon and escape into Seireitei.

But Ichigo was a realist. He knew that he couldn't possibly beat an Arrancar's Sonido while in his physical body. If she was smart, she'd Sonido two floors up and cut into the elevator shaft just as the car passed and kill him, or she would intercept him on the roof and kill him. Unless a miracle of some sort happened, Aizen was going to get his victory the moment that Luppi cut him down.

Ichigo was a realist, but that didn't mean he couldn't hope.

So he kept running.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Luppi took no notice of the papers that had briefly obscured her view, and sonidoed across the room to the door and stepped into the hallway, down which she could see the ginger hair of her target disappearing around the corner.

She had no comprehension of human means of surveillance, and thus did not think to keep her face hidden from the cameras that monitored the hallway. Nor did she realize that one of the cameras had been at the perfect angle to capture everything that had gone on just inside the room from which her target had fled. She didn't even realize that the surveillance footage in the hotel would match her appearance with the footage taken by the cameras in the intersection where she had killed the target that sent the human world spiraling into war. Even if she had known, Luppi would hardly have cared. All she knew was that her target was gone, and if she did not find him soon, Seireitei would, and her task would be all the more difficult.

It didn't matter though.

Kurosaki Ichigo would die.

One way or another.

For Aizen-sama.

~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

~*~*~*~*~*~

**Ichigo: Once again, I'm in danger.**

**Deragonmaji: don't worry, Ichi! The worst has yet to come!**

**Ichigo: That's what I'm worried about. And don't call me Ichi!**

**SS: But you're my No. 1!!!**

**Byakushi: --grabs Ichi around waist—No! Mine!**

**Ichigo: --blush—**

**Deragonmaji: Um… Your relationship hasn't gotten that far yet.**

**Byakushi: No, but he is my husband.**

**Ichigo: Um… Can you not talk about me like I'm not here?**

**Deragonmaji & Byakushi: No!!!**

**SS: You could stand to be a little kinder to him. Ichi's going to come closer to dying permanently in the coming chapters than ever, and it might not be as kind a transition as with Limitations.**

**Byakushi and Ichigo and Deragonmaji: Hush! No spoilers.**

**SS: --sweatdrops—It's not a spoiler. I'm just SAYING…**

**Ichigo: Great, Don't I just feel loved.**

**SS: --sighs—Go make out with Byakuya or something, you drama queen.**

**Byakushi: O///O**

**Ichigo: I'm not a drama Queen!**

**Deragonmaji: --dances around Ichi with pompoms—Drama Queen! Drama Queen!**

**Ichigo: --growls—I'm not a Drama Queen!**

**SS: --snickers—Deragonmaji and I would really appreciate some feedback! So please click on that pretty button below and leave a review!**


	8. Ch7: The Shadow of the Day Part 2

Title: BLEACHed Elements

Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji

Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world are unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU

Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo

Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

Chapter Summary: Ichigo has come closer to becoming a permanent resident of Seireitei than he ever has before and Byakuya realizes that his feelings for his young husband actually run deeper than he could ever have imagined…

**SanadaSayuri: Hey there! Yet another quick update!**

**Deragonmaji: … I can't keep up with you, girl!**

**SanadaSayuri: --unrepentant smile—Sorry about that.**

**Deragonmaji: No you're not.**

**SanadaSayuri: Damn straight I'm not. The ByaIchi interaction goes up on the yaoi scale, slowly but surely.**

**Deragonmaji: Also, to the reviewer who asked why Ichigo didn't change, you answered your own question. If Ichigo left his body, Luppi would have slit his throat and gone on after Shinigami!Ichigo, and Ichigo would be dead permanently. At least if Ichigo stays in his body, there's a chance he can make it.**

**SanadaSayuri: Warning! Byakuya may be OOC in this chapter!**

Chapter 7

Byakuya had not wasted time after receiving his father-in-law's message. Ichigo was in trouble again? Not surprising. Isshin telling him to go after him and go quickly? That was new, and Byakuya had no intention of seeing what Isshin would do to him if he didn't do as he was told. He staunchly ignored Senbonzakura's whispers in the back of his mind as he made his way through New York toward the Hilton Hotel where Ichigo was staying.

He did not expect the pain that suddenly lanced through his body. He gasped and dropped to one knee as the bond between him and his young husband thrummed with the teen's pain. The noble forced himself back onto his feet, forced himself to ignore the pain and shunpoed to the spot where he sensed the last dregs of Ichigo's reiryouku flickering and slowly fading away…

He couldn't breathe, couldn't push away the strange fear rising in his chest, and couldn't overlook Senbonzakura's screaming…

Ichigo… Please don't die…

~*~*~*~*~*~

The moment he heard something slam onto the top of the elevator car, and saw the ceiling dent, he knew he wasn't going to survive the night. Ichigo sighed and pulled his gun out of its holster. He glanced up at the dark orb that hid the elevator's surveillance camera and sighed, knowing that the hotel's surveillance footage would be on the nine o'clock news that night. The ceiling fell inward, and he pressed himself into a corner aimed his gun up, and the moment he saw a flash of white, pulled the trigger. A female voice cried out in pain, and blood dripped down from the broken panels.

A sword blade slammed through the ceiling and the top of the elevator car was ripped away. The Arrancar dropped into the car, her youthful face a mask of fury. Ichigo hefted his gun and pulled the trigger. Again and again and again. Once the magazine was empty, he ejected it and snapped a new one into place, cocked the gun, and cried out in surprise and pain as Luppi took advantage of his brief distraction to stab the katana into his shoulder. She yanked the blade out of the teen's shoulder and drew it across his throat.

The gun dropped from limp fingers, discharging once. Luppi allowed the teen to drop to the floor, heedless of both camera and the blood soaking into her clothes. The elevator reached the roof seconds later and the doors opened. She stepped out and opened a Garganta and walked away.

She ignored the strangled cry from the dark haired shinigami that shunpoed past her to the boy's side, tenderly taking the child into his arms and weeping bitterly into soft orange spikes. The shinigami was of no concern to her. Her mission was complete.

Aizen-sama would be pleased.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Byakuya arrived on the scene in time to see the elevator doors open to reveal Ichigo's broken body and an arrancar stepping out and into a garganta. Senbonzakura fell silent and the noble found that he couldn't stop the strangled cry from leaving his throat as he shunpoed past the Arrancar into the elevator and knelt next to Ichigo, heedless of the blood soaking into his trousers. He couldn't stop the tears from coming as he gently drew Ichigo's broken body toward him and buried his face into the mop of soft, ginger hair, mourning the life cut short, and finally, finally acknowledging the fact that his feelings toward the child had changed from a sense of familial duty toward a spouse into something more. Senbonzakura was silent as Byakuya held his young husband close, and mourned the loss of that spicy shard of the boy's soul that had always existed in his heart since their wedding, and most especially, mourned that there would be no chance to explore those feelings, to see if Ichigo ever felt the same.

He'd had his chance, and he had squandered it. He'd been too busy running away from his feelings; too busy distancing himself when the teen would have needed him most. He'd had his chance, and he'd lost it.

And then he felt it.

A single weak, but warm breath ghosting over his neck.

Byakuya froze, hardly daring to breathe.

And then he felt another weak breath, followed by a weak pulse under his hands.

He isn't dead yet!

Senbonzakura's exultant cry rang through his mind as Byakuya stripped of his jacket, pressing it against Ichigo's neck, trying to staunch the wound without cutting off the teen's air. He reached a hand into his pocket to pull out his communicator, and pressed the speed dial for an Elements Emergency Services Team.

"Stay awake, Ichigo," Byakuya said urgently as the teen's eyelids fluttered, rising slightly to reveal brown eyes. "Please, don't leave me!"

The teen's hand shifted slightly, and Byakuya's heart leapt at the slight pressure against his leg. It meant that he was aware. Tears rolled down his face, this time, tears of joy that Ichigo was still clinging to life, but still there was the fear that Ichigo's strength would not last. A fear that was justified by his jacket that was turning red and wet at an alarming rate as it soaked up Ichigo's lifeblood.

"Stay with me, Ichigo," Byakuya whispered, "I-I love you."

Ichigo's lips twitched, but it seemed that even that slight movement was too much for his flagging strength, for his eyes closed and his body went still.

"No!" Byakuya felt his heart stop, "No! Ichigo! Wake up! Stay with me, Ichigo! Ichigo!"

There was no response, and the noble felt his world crumble around him. After what seemed like an eternity, but was in reality, two minutes, the door to the emergency stairway was flung open, revealing an Elements Emergency Response Team. Then Byakuya felt himself being pulled away from Ichigo's limp form, and the dark haired noble looked up to see Yoruichi's sad, dark eyes before he turned his eyes back toward Ichigo's still form, around which Elements were working to revive and save the teen.

"Ichigo…" Byakuya couldn't tear his eyes away from his husband's form.

"Come, Byakuya," the former Second Division Captain said, wrapping an arm around the sobbing noble's shoulders, gently steering him toward the stairs, "Let them work."

Numbly, Byakuya allowed himself to be led away.

Somehow, he couldn't stop crying…

~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

~*~*~*~*~*~

**Deragonmaji: O.o Wow, short chapter.**

**Youichi: Are you two done tormenting Ichigo yet? Look! You've broken Byakuya-bo!**

**Byakushi: TT_TT**

**SS: Aww… But we're almost done with the Revelations Arc!**

**Deragonmaji: There are Arcs in this story? Why didn't I know about this?**

**SS: BLEACHed Blitzkreig has two arcs, the Soul Society Arc, which is about, obviously, Ichigo in Soul Society, and the False Death Arc, which featured Ichigo going underground after giving everyone the impression that he died in the bombing and revealing himself afterward to bring down a set of war hawks who were manufacturing weapons during peacetime. Then in BLEACHed Elements, there are three arcs thus far, the Beginning of the Conflict Arc, which goes through the start of the newest war and Ichigo's withdrawal from the Winter War, also known as the Arrancar War, the Assassination Arc, in which Ichigo seems to have a streak of very bad luck, and the arc we're currently on, the Revelations Arc, in which we will learn the mastermind behind the two wars and Byakuya's burgeoning feelings for Ichigo.**

**Deragonmaji: O.o That's a lot of information.**

**SS: I know… XD**

**Yoruichi: So how is Ichigo?**

**Deragonmaji: Um, Sanada Sayuri should know.**

**SS: You know I can't tell.**

**Yoruichi: --shoves a chibified, teary eyed Byakushi at SS—Look at this! Don't torment him any more than you already have!**

**SS: T.T I'm sorry… But really, I can't say… --hugs Byakushi and strokes his hair—But you can be sure I won't Ichi die, ok? Don't cry…**

**Deragonmaji:… Um… Yeah…. Sanada Sayuri and I would really appreciate some feedback! So please click on that pretty button below and leave a review!**


	9. Ch8: Soldiers of the Wastelands

Title: BLEACHed Elements

Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji

Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is not mine. If it was, I would be rich and I wouldn't be writing this, now would I?

Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world are unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU

Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo

Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

Chapter Summary: Preparations are made for Kurosaki Karin to take the stage, preparations that are rendered moot when mother and son awake. Tousen, at the end of his probationary period, reveals the extent of Aizen's reach, and the turmoil spreads.

**SanadaSayuri: Yay! Yet another update! Warning to all, this can be considered a filler chapter. What o you think, Deragnmaji?**

**Deragonmaji: …. Uh…. Monkies?**

**SanadaSayuri: …. Okay….**

Chapter 8

Karin was the first to notice the two males entering Urahara's basement dressed in the formal Quincy robes.

"Ishida-sensei?" she asked tentatively when she saw the older Quincy's tense face. "Is something wrong?"

"Ichigo-san is in critical condition," Ryuuken said calmly, "It is unlikely that even with the superior medicine of Elements and the Shinigami that he will make it. Therefore, we are setting into motion contingency plans that he prepared. As Ichigo-san's heir, you will begin training to take his place, Karin-san."

Soi Fong frowned and said, "What about her shinigami training?"

Ryuuken pushed his glasses higher onto the bridge of his nose and said calmly, "At the moment, the Scenario is more important. Should Ichigo-san recover, then Karin-san's physical shinigami training will continue. Until then, she will have to content with book work."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"…_Since he became Acting Japanese Foreign Minister, Kurosaki Ichigo has been the target of multiple assassination attempts since he stepped in for his mother after her injury six months ago. Today, however, he was victim to yet another assassination attempt, and this one is easily the most successful thus far. We go now to Ayano Makoto in the field for more details…"_

"_Chaos filled the lobby of the Hilton Hotel just west of the United Nations Headquarters when security cameras captured footage of a female assassin attacking Kurosaki Ichigo, son of the Japanese Foreign Minister. Close family Friend, Shihouin Yoruichi was the one to find the body and call Emergency Services. Kurosaki Ichigo is currently in the care of the Elements and his condition is still unknown. In the meantime, the entirety of the Kurosaki family has gone underground, including the comatose Japanese Foreign Minister, Kurosaki Masaki. Eldest of the two Kurosaki daughters, Kurosaki Karin, eleven years old, is now undergoing a crash course in politics to fill in the power gap left by her comatose mother and injured brother, though many are reluctant to allow a child to enter a political arena that has nearly claimed the life of her mother and may well claim her elder brother. With so many attempts against the Kurosaki Family, which for years has been advocates of peace, one can only wonder: Who is so adamant that this conflict that is quickly spreading into a global scale is not stopped?"_

~*~*~*~*~*~

"…We're lucky that the Commander was able to reject the injury, and luckier still that the assassin didn't cut his windpipe or Kurosaki-san would never have made it… His vital signs have stabilized, and we're replacing the blood that he's lost, but we're not out of the woods yet. If he doesn't make it through the night…."

Yoruichi sighed and said quietly, "What about Byakuya?"

"We sedated him on the Commander's orders," the Element's Medical Officer said quietly, "and we have orders not to allow him access to Kurosaki-san's room until he is moved out of the ICU."

"But Byakuya is Ichigo's husband!"

"Be that as it may. As long as there are no documents acknowledged by the Living World to verify the union, there's nothing I can do. Of course, we can't stop shinigami from leaving their gigai, and once a person ceases to operate on the same plane of existence, we cannot interfere in their business."

"So Byakuya can visit Ichigo, but only if he leaves his gigai, is that it?"

"That would be the logical conclusion, yes."

"Fine. How is Kurosaki Masaki?"

"Stable, but no changes."

"It seems that we may need Karin then…"

"With this family's record?" the medic said, "I should pray not."

Yoruichi hissed like a cat. To the medic's credit, he held his ground though he could not suppress his flinch.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"So it is true then, even the war in the human war was orchestrated by Aizen."

The gathered Captains shifted uncomfortably under the aged Captain Commander's stern gaze.

"And Ichigo-kun?" Ukitake asked, "What does Aizen gain from killing Ichigo-kun? He has already withdrawn from Soul Society's conflicts for the time."

The blind Captain shook his head. "Kurosaki Ichigo-san showed that he was different from his mother's family. Kurosaki Masaki and her predecessors were pacifists while her son, Kurosaki Ichigo-san has proven that he is not above using force if necessary. If it came down to it, he would likely condone the use of force. The simple fact that he carries firearms on his person while his mother and her bodyguards do not do so is a noted difference. Kurosaki Masaki is a minor inconvenience, but her son is a major threat."

"He doesn't have any military power," Komamura said quietly, "how could Ichigo be any threat?"

"Because there is Inoue," Hitsugaya said, "and I will assume that Aizen somehow discovered that she is the current Commander of the Elements?"

Tousen nodded. "If Kurosaki Ichigo asked, Inoue Orihime would send her Elements into the depths of Hell itself. In that way, he is _de facto_ Commander over a very large and very old military organization."

"And the targeting of spiritually aware humans?" Byakuya asked.

"They are brought into Hueco Mundo for study and hollowfication before being converted into Arrancar."

"It would certainly explain the sudden rise in the population of Hollows," Kurotsuchi mused.

"He has been building this army for a long time it seems," Soi Fong said quietly. "I wonder how large it is by now?"

"Unacceptably large," Hitsugaya said shortly, "and without the Kurosaki family to play mediators and to slow the conflict, Aizen will have no problems harvesting the souls of spiritually aware humans to farther bolster his ranks."

"Aizen cannot be allowed to add to his army," the Sotaicho barked. "Soi Fong-taicho and Hitsugaya-taicho, return to the material world and gather the information we need to intercept Aizen. Unohana-taicho, keep us updated on Kurosaki Ichigo's condition."

~*~*~*~*~*~

'_**You're an absolute idiot King. You should've left your body behind. Sure, you'd be dead, but you'd have evaded the Arrancar with shunpo.'**_

'_There would be no change from our current position.'_

'Wha?'

'_**Oh **__**now**__** he's somewhat coherent!'**_

'_Hush, Hiei. Are you well, Ichigo?'_

'Where?'

'_**Oh, you've got to be shitting me!'**_

'…'

'Shut up, Hollow. You're giving me a headache.'

'_**Humph. How are you feeling King?'**_

'_You should know, I think. We are all parts of the whole after all.'_

'_**Let the King speak Old Man!'**_

'Um… Confused?'

'_Rest, Ichigo. You still need to give Kuchiki Byakuya a reply.'_

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ryuuken paused in the waving of the laser pointer over the screen as his phone rang. He fished the cell phone from his pocket, glanced at the caller id and sighed.

"Excuse me for a bit," he said to Karin and flipped it open and held the phone to his ear.

"I'm in the middle of a lesson, Isshin," he said shortly. Then his eyes widened before returning to normal. "I see. That's good news then. I'll speak with you later then. Bye."

He flipped the phone closed and slipped it into his pocket. "We will continue your lesson in half an hour Karin-san. If I'm not back in one hour, I will likely not be back at all due to some emergency; in which case you will finish the day's reading with notes and Soi Fong-san will catch you up on practical lessons."

And then he was gone. Karin blinked before marking her spot in the book and putting it aside before heading out of the tent turned classroom in time to see Soi Fong turn toward her and motion for her. The dark haired Kurosaki shrugged and moved toward the Second Divison Captain.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Masaki."

"Ryuuken? Oh, Isshin told me all about what happened! How's my baby boy?"

"Better to ask Yoruichi or Inoue about that."

"That bad huh?"

"Sadly, yes."

"Oh…"

"Inoue is sure he will recover."

"Then Ichigo will be just fine."

"I wish I had your sense of optimism, Masaki."

~*~*~*~*~*~

He woke near instantaneously when he sensed a familiar reiatsu beside him, his nose filled with the scent of antiseptics and sanitizing agents and a faint scent of lavender. He didn't open his eyes immediately, but kept his breathing deep and even, maintaining the illusion of sleep.

"So you're awake?" a cool, baritone asked.

He breathed out heavily and opened his eyes and looked at the pale and haggard face of the dark haired man beside him. He opened his mouth to speak only to find a cool, slender finger on his lips.

"Do not speak," Byakuya said, lifting his finger from Ichigo's lips and lightly brushing his cheek with his knuckles as he straightened, "Your vocal chords are still damaged. Until the healers have the chance to examine your throat, you should not stress your voice."

'He looks tired,' Ichigo thought.

Byakuya studied the teen, his heart tightening as he noticed the glimmer of confusion and concern behind the teen's eyes.

"Your mother will be relieved to hear that you are well."

'Mother's awake?!' He stared at his husband in surprise.

Byakuya nodded. "Kurosaki-san woke four days ago. You have been unconscious for the better part of three weeks."

'THREE WEEKS!?'

Ichigo blinked, and suddenly found Byakuya's face inches from his own before warm, soft lips brushed over his own briefly before the noble withdrew.

"Get well soon, Ichigo. We still need you alive."

Startled, the teen touched his lips as he watched wonderingly as the door closed quietly blocking his view of his husband's back.

'What… what was that?'

~*~*~*~*~*~

"This is unacceptable!" a dark skinned man barked, "We accepted the excuse that you were investigating the assassination of the Japanese Prime Minister's son, but now you assassin has targeted the Vice Foreign Minister's son! He's lucky to be alive! If you really want peace so badly, then why are you throwing the blame on us while sending your assassins after the peace advocates!?"

"We have done no such thing!" the Korean Prime Minister protested, "We don't even know who that woman is! She's not even one of our citizens!"

"Of course you wouldn't confess to it!" another woman cried, "She's probably one of your secret services! Korea has always been militant!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"_It has been three weeks since the attempted assassination of Kurosaki Ichigo, acting Foreign Minister of Japan. Doctors claim that he has awakened at last, a relief to a great many people, especially his mother, the Japanese foreign Minister, Kurosaki Masaki, who woke from her coma only four days ago…"_

~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC…

~*~*~*~*~*~

**SanadaSayuri:… Um… Yeah…. Feedback? Please?**


	10. Chapter 9: Considerations

Title: BLEACHed Elements

Author(s): SanadaSayuri & Deragonmaji

Disclaimer: No money is made off this work of fiction. Bleach is does not belong to either me or Deragonmaji. If it did belong to us, we would be ridiculously wealthy and we wouldn't be writing this, now would we?

Summary: Four months after the events of BLEACHed Blitzkrieg, the Winter War against Aizen is at a standstill. Serieitei is on constant alert and stretched thin as the Shinigami work to repel attacks from Hueco Mundo in both Soul Society and in the Human world. In the meantime, the fragile threads of peace in the human world are unraveling, while humans with high spiritual awareness are getting killed off. Is Aizen the mastermind behind all of this conflict? Only Ichigo can get to the bottom of this mystery, but the actual question remains, can the combined efforts of the Spiritually Aware humans and the Shinigami keep Ichigo alive long enough for him to get to the bottom of everything and hopefully end the conflicts?AU

Pairing: Byakuya/Ichigo

Note: Sequel to BLEACHed Blitzkrieg

Chapter Summary: Wars are won by three things, Allies, Resources, and Information. Unfortunately for his Enemy, Kurosaki Ichigo has all three and reasonable people are more than happy to help keep his hands clean.

**SanadaSayuri: ** Ug… It's been a while…

**Deragonmaji: **No fear! At least there's something new up! FINALLY.

**SanadaSayuri: **No excuses from either of us. As things stand, we would like to thank everyone for their patience.

**Deragonmaji: **Here's chapter 9!

Chapter 9

"It was an Arrancar."

It was strange, Ichigo mused, how four simple words could cause a group of highly trained shinigami to fall into chaos. Very calmly and deliberately, he knocked a half full cup off the side table. The meeting room fell silent at the sound of shattering glass. No one seemed to notice the water creeping across the hospital room's linoleum floor.

"Thank you," Ichigo said coolly. "As I was saying, I was attacked by an Arrancar, which lends credence to the belief that Aizen has a vested interest in the outcome of the humans' war. I have evidence which indicates that for as long as the war in the living world is slow in terms of widespread destruction and deaths, fewer spiritually aware humans are abducted. Surveys conducted by the Elements show that immediately after the panic that ensued after my injury, the numbers of spiritually aware humans that were abducted went up by five percent, and immediately after my mother's recovery, dropped by two percent. On a related note, former shinigami currently in the employ of the Kurosaki Business and serving as civilian consultants with the Elements have reported a ten percent increase in the number of hollows materializing in the living plane. Those numbers have since dropped, but not as much as we would have hoped."

"And what exactly do you want us to do about it?" Soi Fong asked defensively.

Ichigo smiled calmly, "Nothing beyond increasing your vigilance, Soi Fong Taicho. Elements will take care of our own, and with a spiritually aware human on the political scene, Quincy who have lain low since the Massacre three hundred years ago are coming out of the woodwork. I personally have no fear of Hollows, no more than the average spiritually aware human, but exorcising Hollows is not our specialty. Eradicating them from all existences we can do though." Ichigo's smile was mirthless, "But we all know how well that went."

"You speak as if you no longer have shinigami powers," Kurotsuchi said.

Ichigo's face hardened, "You talk as if I have the luxury of jumping in and out of my body at a moment's notice, Kurotsuchi-taicho," the teen's voice was mild. "I should point out that with the eyes of the world upon me, my actions are limited. Before this war began, I could afford to wander around and leave my body whenever I liked to perform shinigami duties. Now I cannot. The peace of the world depends on my presence behind my mother's."

When the hospital room was empty of shinigami, Ichigo slumped back against the pillows. "So what do you think, Inoue?"

"I think that we may have to put the Quincy into action regardless of the shinigami's decision," the orange haired teen slithered out from under Ichigo's bed and primly dusted off her cream colored pant suit. "Soul Society cares nothing for the lives of common humans. We breed quickly, and balance can always be restored by killing off a small country's worth, and with Kurotsuchi Mayuri's zanpakuto, that can be easily arranged."

"You know, I hate dealing with reasonable people."

"Don't you mean unreasonable, Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue smiled humorlessly, "after all, as far as anyone knows, no shinigami has ever investigated something before charging in and killing it."

Ichigo's smile was grim, "And Aizen knew it. He used it to his advantage even. How are negotiations going?"

Inoue huffed. "Negotiations aren't going at all. Our people keep getting killed before coming within a stone's throw of the enemy base. We'll have to change our methods to lower the chances of death for this particular mission."

"Or find someone capable of moving through the enemy ranks without being detected."

"You don't mean… The refugees?"

"If they are willing."

Inoue looked pensive, "It might work. I'll send them a message right away."

"Do me a favor, Inoue."

"Yes?"

"Contact Tousen. I'd like to speak with him."

She gave the other orange haired teen an inscrutable look and nodded. "Alright. But I insist on being present when you speak with him."

Ichigo smirked, "I wouldn't dream of not having you there. There's a reason why I decided not to go looking for him myself, after all."

Inoue smiled sweetly, "How kind of you. I'll go send that message now. You concentrate on your recovery. If I recall, you still have a question from your husband to answer."

Ichigo frowned as he prodded the blue gelatin on the tray with his spoon before setting the utensil down and looking out the window. He'd never admit it, but he was the sort who did not like having his routine changed, although in his line of work, routine was a luxury he couldn't afford. It didn't mean, however, that he wasn't allowed to cherish what little constancy that existed when his world changed moment by moment based off the decisions of Generals and the Politicians he found himself working with on a day to day basis, especially with that damned war. It was why he valued so much the continued presence of the Shinigami in his life. The Death Gods, due to their inherent nature, were essentially immortal, and therefore resisted change, adapting only when it was clear that there was no choice. And then one of them had to go and change everything.

'_Slow down, Ichigo,'_ Zangetsu murmured, _'You are a reasonable person, think this through.'_

'_**Ha! Not like there's anything to think on, King! Do you want to jump him or not? That's what matters!'**_

'_A rash decision at this point could get him killed,'_ Zangetsu scolded the hollow.

'_**Or it could stop the rain. I'm tired of rain.'**_

Ichigo sighed. People in arranged marriages didn't necessarily have to like each other so long as an heir was produced, in fact, shinigami males _could _become pregnant, though the marriage contract between Ichigo and Byakuya stated on no uncertain terms that Ichigo would not be forced to carry a child until his twenty first birthday. As for their emotional relationship, for the longest time, he was sure that there was a mutual antipathy between himself and Byakuya. The only reason they'd gotten along initially was the mutual respect for each other's abilities and their mutual concern over the well being of Kuchiki Rukia. They were civil to each other during the brief months of their engagement and found that they had more in common than they had initially believed. They'd both gone through the motions of matrimony and performed their duties to one another as husband and spouse and found that over time, they had developed something akin to a friendship. So when did all of this start? When had this new warmth bloomed, soft and tender, under his breastbone at the mere sight or mention of the man?

'_It has many names,'_ Zangetsu said calmly,_ 'But only you can place a name to what you feel.'_

'_And it's more simple than you might think, King!'_

"I hate when people suddenly change everything on me without warning!" Ichigo growled, "At least reasonable people have the decency to warn someone when the rules of the game begin to change!"

'_Don't mention our allies too lightly, Ichigo,'_ Zangetsu warned. _'Your life and career depends on keeping your hands clean.'_

'_**Don't worry about that! Reasonable People will be more than happy to keep his hands clean for him! Look at the Manic Orangette!'**_

"Ok. That's it," Ichigo sighed and reached for his cell phone, "I'm calling Ryuuken. I need something to do before I go insane." He studiously ignored the laughter of his Zanpakuto Spirit and his Inner Hollow as he speed dialed Ryuuken and put the phone to his ear.

TBC…

**SanadaSayuri: Feedback? Please?**


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